On 25 January, the European Commission launched a public consultation, open until 19 April, on the EU’s future forestry strategy, expected in the first quarter of 2021, as part of the European Green Deal.
This forestry strategy will primarily be the responsibility of the EU Agriculture Council (see EUROPE 12631/10), but should be consistent with the EU Biodiversity Strategy 2030 and the EU’s medium and long-term climate objectives.
It will target sustainable forest management, conservation and restoration of forests in the EU to help increase CO2 absorption, reduce the incidence and extent of forest fires and other risks and promote the bio-economy.
All stakeholders - citizens, Member States, forest owners and managers, rural inhabitants, associations - are invited to give their views on the objectives and actions envisaged, but also on the role of forests in rural areas, socio-economic well-being, disaster risk management, forest monitoring, the forest-based industries and the objective of planting 3 billion trees by 2030.
The future strategy will focus on EU territory. It will complement the EU action plan for the protection and restoration of forests worldwide, put forward by the European Commission in July 2019.
You can respond to the questionnaire online until midnight on 19 April: http://bit.ly/2TP5C2r (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)